Power tongs are frequently used in the oil and gas industry for threadably connecting and disconnecting oil field tubulars such as those commonly referred to as casing, tubing and as “sucker” rods. Power tongs include a tong assembly and a transmission assembly. The transmission assembly typically includes a hydraulic motor and an operator valve. The tong assembly typically includes either a closed-head tong or an open-head tong having a jaw which engages the tubulars. When the jaw of the tong assembly is clamped onto the tubulars, the transmission assembly causes the tong assembly to rotate in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to either thread or unthread the tubular.